On Thursday, March 18, 157 University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine graduates will learn their career path, along with other senior medical students across the country.

It’s called Match Day because it’s the culmination of four long years of medical school, where getting "matched” with a program in a specialty you desire is perceived as paramount to success. It is where they’ll spend the next three to seven years training at their preferred hospital/specialty.

According to the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP), 2009 had the largest match of students to programs in history. The NRMP serves as a venue for matching the program preferences of students with those of residency program directors.

The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) is a private, not-for-profit corporation established in 1952 to provide a uniform date of appointment to positions in graduate medical education (GME).